Kigali ushers in New Year in style

• Police registers 1 minor incident in city As revealed Saturday morning, the Police registered only one minor incident in the city, and no deaths, even as hundreds of buoyant Kigalians joined the rest of the world, the night before, in ushering in the New Year 2011. Police Spokesperson, Supt. Eric Kayiranga, told The Sunday Times that throughout New Year’s Eve merriment, in the city, “all night was calm and we actually had better security than in other days.” “You possibly can’t imagine that we registered only one minor incident, an accident, at Kagugu where a Coaster bus knocked and injured a man – he was taken to Kibagabaga hospital and is not in critical condition,” he said. Regrettably, however, Supt. Kayiranga revealed that, outside the city, as Rwandans indulged themselves in various ways, three cases of deaths due to drowning - two in the Eastern Province and one in the western province, all because of drunkenness, were registered by Police. Kayiranga added that separate cases “related to family conflicts” resulted into two suicide cases from the Northern and Eastern Provinces, in addition to a murder case in which a woman stoned her husband to death in Gatsibo District, all happening just hours before the New Year was ushered in. “Apart from these few incidents from upcountry, the last 24 hours were characterized by an extraordinary calm, compared to other days. We really commend the good conduct demonstrated by people who were celebrating,” said the Police spokesperson. In an earlier Police message, the Rwanda National Police (RNP) particularly extended its gratitude to the community for working hand in hand with the police to maintain security before, during and after Christmas. When the clock struck midnight in Kigali city, fireworks were launched from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minaffet) where many Kigalians, and visitors, had gathered to watch the spectacular display which could also be seen from several areas across the city. Worldwide, South-Pacific countries were the first to mark New Year’s Day as the rest of the world counted down to the event. Rwandans ushered in the New Year with night prayers at almost all city churches and other venues. Ends